Data Recovery
From a Failed Hard Drive - Dropping Method:

Believe it or not a hard drive that is not
working can be brought back to life by dropping
it. Sometimes the heads stick to the platter
causing the drive to lock up during shutdown.
If this is the case dropping it can knock them
free. This is a temporary fix and should only
be used to recover the data, you should copy
your data off the drive ASAP. This method should
be used last as it can cause permanent damage
to the hard drive, it is a last resort in the
data recovery process. If the drive
is spinning (you will hear it turning) this
is not the method to use, this method is best
suited for data recovery cases where the drive
is not spinning. If the drive is spinning
it not physically damaged so it is a problem
that should be approached through other methods.

Step 1: Make Sure You Are Prepared
to Recover the Data

There is no point in trying to restore the
old hard drive if you are not prepared to immediately
copy the data off of the failed hard drive.
You should have a new hard drive already installed
in the computer or have a different computer
setup and ready to go. As soon as you hook the
old hard drive back up to see if it works you'll
have to be ready to start copying the data onto
a fresh hard drive.

Step 2: Drop the Drive

Drop the drive onto a flat hard surface from
approximately 4"-6" above. You should
drop the drive onto the large closed side. If
this did not work the first time try it again
at a distance of up to 8", you can also
try dropping the drive onto each of the four
edges.

Step 3: Restore the Files

Place hard drive back into the computer right
away as the slave drive and boot it up. If you
can access the drive begin recovering the important
data right away. If you are able to recover
the data using this method the drive will only
work for a short period of time and this method
usually only works one time. If the drive still
does not respond you can try this method again
by dropping it for a greater distance or on
the sides.